The point has state’s best surf fishing

Jon Masten with a big taco (mahi) from offshore, not that far offshore either. Submitted photos

Second summer approaches and we are antsy to fish the point this weekend. I have been waiting for that area to open all summer.

She changes shape every year and is the best surf fishing in Delaware hands down. Not to mention the scenery. It is the only beach that if the flies are bad on one side you can move to the other side and they leave you alone. It will be crowded for a few weekends but as school and sports kick in the crowds will subside. The best weekday sunset views ever! It is very quiet out there on the weekdays.

Weekly beach cleanups have been a huge success and we will be changing to our off-season schedule to the weekends in about 3 to 4 weeks. You will have to find the schedule on Delaware Surf Fishing’s website. I am making a page just for that schedule soon.

So far we usually pull a full bag of trash off the beach each week. This Sept. 4th we will meet at point comfort station parking lot to clean the point after she opens.

War On The Shore

War On The Shore, a high payout surf fishing tournament, is coming in October. You can search the name on eventbrite and get signed up. We will also have a few walk-in signups over the next few weekends in September. Don’t miss out on a 1 in 300 shot at $10,000.

Variety of fish

Fishing has been decent if you put in the time. It has certainly not been the best year for catching. The surf has been good when the water isn’t as rough and stirred up, also when less people are swimming that helps as well. There have been an interesting variety of fish caught and the usual suspects that show up are around.

Pompano are still random catches but have been hitting fish bites bloodworm formula on top and bottom rigs. The small puppy drum (black drum) are in the surf and have been hitting more frequently. Kingfish when you can get them are hitting top and bottom rigs with a variety of baits and the bigger ones are hitting mullet rigs or cut bait. Flounder can be found jigging for them in the cuts just beyond the surf line. Skates, rays, sharks, and dogfish are a plenty.

Offshore fishing in shore reefs and wrecks has been good action for many of the boaters. Mahi has been a big catch as of late. From the peanut sizes to mini bull size.

“They are all over the place from the Old Grounds to the Del-Jersey-Land reef … you can troll them up or look for them around buoys. A few years ago guys were catching them at B buoy and people couldn’t believe it. They were hitting flounder rigs on the retrieve when we would check our baits.”

Anglers are boating lots of trigger, small trout (weakfish), bluefish, seabass, croakers, scup, blowfish (northern puffers), Almaco Jacks, spotted hake, and kingfish. Lots of oyster crackers out there too and believe it or not they are good to eat. Trash fish as they and some others are called actually make great table fare. Flounder action has been decent out on the wrecks and reefs. The aforementioned fish have been the more popular catches.

Tuna is picking up

D Morelli caught this beast of a pompano at Fenwick Island last weekend. Never seen one this big in Delaware waters.

Tuna fishing is picking up, but according to a friend of mine in the wholesale food fish business it has been a tough year for them to get Atlantic species. We have seen catches but not as many as years past. The tilefishing has been excellent in the canyons.

The Cape Henlopen fishing pier is seeing a lot more spot this year than the past few years. Looks like the bluefish spring run didn’t eat them all. Still croaker, some keeper flounder, blues, and short bass for fun action. Great place to take the kids and you can rent rods from them if you don’t have the gear.

Pond hopping is always a fun alternative to get into the fish and avoid the weekend crowds. There has been decent action on top water fishing around the floating weed patches. Pickerel and bass have been the best catches. Bluegills always abide and are really fun on light gear or fly rods.